Aaron Reutzel’s Break Out Season
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Many people have heard the name Aaron Reutzel this season while perusing the latest sprint car results, unsure of where this guy on fire came from! The 25 year old, Clute, Texan, is actually no stranger to the sport, but has taken the national scene by storm this season.
Aaron grew up in the racing world, spending his childhood at races with his dad, Kenny, who raced micro sprints. Aaron loved going to the races, any kind of races. One night when his dad was racing, the track owner brought out go-karts that looked like little sprint cars. Aaron got to drive one, and it was all down hill from there. Two years later, he was racing Junior Sprints at the age of 7. That was nearly twenty years ago and Aaron isn’t looking back. He chose the car #87 to honor his dad, who was #88.
Reutzel raced at Gulf Coast Speedway until 2002, then started in a restricted micro sprint, racing with the National Modified Midget Association- or NMMA. This series took the young Aaron all over the South: Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas, where he ran for points. He raced against some of the best in sprint car racing back then; Brad Sweet, Brady Bacon, Jonathan Cornell, and Dustin Morgan, to name a few. He ran the restricted series for two seasons, accomplishing 5th in points overall.
In 2004, Aaron moved into the non-restricted Micro Class. As well as that class, he jumped in a non-winged micro and the Outlaw Micro Class. He ran all over the country through 2008, chasing races, nothing for series points. In those four years, Aaron had a lot of success and racked up several wins.
The season of 2009 found Aaron behind the wheel of a 360 sprint car racing full time. He started with the Gulf South ASCS division, where he got his first win, and also snagged the championship in his rookie season. The following season of 2010, Reutzel finished 2nd in Gulf South points.
With two full seasons under his belt running with a regional ASCS series as well as hitting as many in between races as the schedule would allow, Aaron was ready to commit to the National ASCS Tour, where he could race full time for points and cover more tracks. He wound up 10th in points and earned the Rookie of the Year honors.
Coming off his first successful National Tour, 2012 had begun with promising perspectives. After they lost a major sponsor however, the team had to cut its losses and return to Texas to race a more manageable and cost-effective schedule. 2013 began with more of the same, until Aaron met the man he credits with turning his race career and life around: Bob Miller. Bob became a partner, sponsor, and mentor who was with Aaron up until last month, when he sadly lost his life due to complications from heart surgery.
Bob made it possible for Reutzel to put his #87 on the ASCS National Tour again, where he had four wins with the series. Bob brought peace of mind to the Reutzel racing operation by supplying strong and consistent motors, invaluable lessons about life, and confidence building conversations.
Reutzel kicked off 2015 with a bang, impressing people with his Winter Heat performance down at Greg Burgess’s Cocopah Speedway. He won his first 410 race, winning the Winter Heat finale. He led the first two nights as well, but wasn’t able to grab the top podium finish due to equipment failure both nights. After the Winter Heat, the team headed to Florida for the All Star race, where he again led every lap only to blow up with three to go, still pulling off a 2nd place finish. Reutzel moved on to the Ronald Laney Memorial Race weekend where he won the preliminary night and finished 2nd on the final night.
Reutzel had a huge July 25th win at the Peter Murphy Classic, at Tulare Thunderbowl in California, where he rocketed the Roth Motorsports #83 to the checkered flags. He drove the Roth Motorsports for the 410 Nationals, as well as his own #87 for the 360 Nationals. Both cars were represented with apparel by Austen Wheatley.
Goals for the Reutzel-owned, Shark Racing Engines, XXX Chassis are to earn the 2015 National ASCS Championship this year. Eventually, Aaron would like to be behind the wheel of a successful World of Outlaws ride, racing all over the country for a living.
With just himself and his crewman, Don Grable, Aaron doesn’t have a lot of spare time for many hobbies like golf- which can be just as stressful as racing anyway, Aaron jokes. The time he has when not racing, he devotes to his wife, Shelbey, and their almost two-year old son, Carson. The family is hoping to get a motorhome in the near future so the three can be together on the road.
Sponsors on the 2015 Reutzel #87 include: XXX Chassis, Simpson, Wren’s Motorsports, Bledsoe Motorsports, Jones & Hadley Body Shop Inc., Frakey’s Cleaners, TJ’s Lube Stop, Momentum Racing Suspensions, Butler Built, Dissolvalloy, B.C. Fundz, Wright Way Logistics, Lone Star, Premier Signs & Graphics, Danny Sander Construction, Basic One, and Shark Racing Engines.
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